Despite historic achievements in 2025, Rory McIlroy is absent from the New Year’s Honours List due to a HMRC tax investigation.
Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy was seen as a favorite for a knighthood from King Charles III alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald. However, all three golfers were omitted this year. In 2025, McIlroy completed his career Grand Slam by winning the Masters, becoming the first European to do so. He also shined at the Ryder Cup 2025, helping Team Europe secure their first away win since 2012 at Bethpage State Park near New York City.
Nevertheless, McIlroy’s name did not appear among the 1,157 honorees on the New Year’s Honours List, which is initially reviewed by the Cabinet Office and then by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) before being submitted to the Prime Minister and the monarch. According to a report by the British “Telegraph,” the HMRC reportedly intervened, similar to a previous delay in David Beckham’s knighthood due to tax issues.
Did Rory McIlroy Intentionally Avoid Taxes?
McIlroy, recently named BBC Sports Personality of the Year, was involved in urban renewal projects in Liverpool, Birmingham, and Sheffield in 2013. These projects were initially considered legal tax reliefs by authorities. However, HMRC later classified them as tax avoidance and is currently investigating if these projects exploited the “Business Premises Renovation Allowance” scheme to deliberately avoid tax payments. There is currently no evidence that McIlroy intended to evade taxes.
As the HMRC has a say in knighthood approvals, such suspicions or ongoing investigations can lead to rejection. Neither the Northern Irish golfer nor the UK government has commented on this matter yet.